Massage device.



P. BI'SHGEIURIAN.

MASSAGE DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 19H.

1,281,487. 0 Patented Oct. 15, 1918.

PUZANT BESHGETURIAN, 0F CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

MASSAGE DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 15, 1918.

Application led November 7, 1917. Serial'No. 200,715.

To all lw 7mm it may concern.'

Be it lmown that I, PUZANT BEsHGE'rU- RIAN, a citizen of the United States, resid'- ing at Cambridge, inthe county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Massage Devices, of which the following is a specification. V

The object of the .present invention is to furnish a device adapted to be usedl by av person for massaging his own skin, and is particularly intended to be used upon the face. It is designed to stimulate the circulation of the blood and thereby promote a healthy condition of the skin, withv the color consequent upon that condition. rlhe principle on which the device operates is that of pinching the skin upon restricted localized arcas; and particularly pinchingk the superficial part ofthe skin and pulling the same outward until the grippers of the instrument slip off, releasing` the skin which then falls back into place.

The essential features of the invention may be embodied in instruments of diverse forms, two of which are illustrated in the drawings.

Figure l is a perspective view of one form of the device.

Fig. 2 is an elevation and 3 is a plank view of the same device.

Fig. 4 is a plan view and Fig.V 5 a side elevation of another form of the device illustrating modifications both in structure and in form of the gripping members, but embodying the essential principles of the invention.

The same reference characters indicate thetv same parts in all the figures.

In Figs. l, 2, and 3 the main portion of the instrument is formed of a strip of metal which is bent double and forms arms a and b with a connecting neck c. These parts of the device are springy, and are arranged so that normally they are substantially parallel to one another butV separated by a moderate distance, substantially as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. The entire device may be taken in the hand 0f the user and grasped between the thumb and forefinger, these digitsl being placed on the outer sides of the arms near their free terminal portions. Then by squeezing the instrument the terminals of the arms may be brought together, where by releasing the arms the elasticity of the arms causes them to spring apart.`

The terminals of the arms form grippers d and e, respectively, the bounding edges of which. arexpreferably made convergent so as to meet at a point, and the points of the two grippers are directly opposite to each'- other so' that these points are actually thev grippers'which grasp the skin. Preferably the grippersf and the adjacent part of theA terminals of the arms are provided on their` inner sides, that is, the sides vwhich arek adjacent to, or faced'toward one another, with' facings fand g, respectively, of a. material whichV Vis soft, yielding, nonabraSi-ve, andV frictional, this material being cemented, riveted, or otherwise secured in a sufficiently firm manner to the grippers.

Various materials may be used for this pur-Y pose according' to the specific requirements of the persons using the instrument. Thus,

without requiring to be pinched too hard by' the grippers, as would be the case if. the contacting surfacesr ofy the grippers were'of polished metal.;` and. they must also be nonabrasive in order not to irritate the skin in slipping. over it. 'Within the limits indicated I may use materials of any degree of hardness or softness or frictional properties. Where aL certain amountv 0f irritation of the skin is desired to accelerate the blood stimulation, I may use for the facings a coarse hard fabric, such as cotton duck. Ifithin the definitions of this specification, I include such materials as that last indicated in the class of non-abrasive materials, and of course all fabrics and other materials which are softer and smoother than cotton duck are non-abrasive. VAbrasive materials are those which would scratch the skin or otherwise injure it when applied after the manner of treatment according to which this instrument is used. l

I do not confine the invention to the form of instrument in which the gripper jaws are normally held apart by the spring force, or to jaws which are pointed or tapered. I

have shown in Figs. 4 and 5 a modification wherein the jaws are of curved outline and are normally pressed together by a spring, being separated by pressure exerted through the users hand. In these figures the jaws are indicated el and e', respectively, and their outline is shown in Fig. 5. They are formed upon arms it and z' having Aoverlapping lugs y' which are pivoted by means of a pin lo. A spring Z is arranged to exert pressure on the arms for the purpose stated. The jaws or grippers are provided with facings 7" and g as before described.

The manner of use of the instrument is to place the jaws against the skin and either press them toward one another or allow them to be pressed together, so that in ap-f proaching one another they gather a small portion of the skin between them and grip the skin thus gathered. rl`he instrument is pulled away from the face quickly, vwhich lifts the skin and somewhat stretches it until as the instrument is furtherwithdrawn, it is pulled away from the skin, the part pinched between the jaws then slipping out and falling back into place. The area of the skin thus gripped is relatively very small and, in the case of the pointed jaws, is limited to the extent which can be gathered between the tapered points. rI`he process above described is repeated, the skin being. thus picked up at different spots rapidly as long as it is desired to continue the treatment.

The effect of thus pinching, pulling, and

edges are approximately parallel to each Y pressing them together more or less forcibly, "pressure 1s exerted upon the skin grasped between them which forces to the surface any matters which may have found'lodgment in .the pores, thereby securing a condition of greater cleanliness than is possible by means 0f scrubbing alone. The grippers having curved outlines may be used with like effect to a degree.

v All parts of the body aswell as the face may be treatedfby use of the instrument in the manner hereinbefore described.

5 W hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: Y

l. A massage instrument of the character described comprising two resiliently connected armsv of flat material, each arm having its sides widened at vone end to form an offset flat terminal of substantial area, with said terminals Vdisposed opposite to each other and in parallel relation, and nonabrasive coverings attached to the inner faces of said terminals and conforming to the contour of the terminals and the contiguous portions of the arms.

2. A massage instrument of the character described comprising two resiliently connected arms of flat material, each arm having its sides widened at one end to form an offset fiat terminal of substantial area, with said terminals disposed opposite to each other and in parallel relation, each terminal having a curved end edge meeting a straight bottom edge to provide massaging points, and non-abrasive coverings attached tothe inner faces of said terminals and conforming t0 the contour of the terminals and the contiguous portions of the arms.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

i rUzANT BESHGETURIAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, I). C. 

